Modern to Mid-century: sofa adaptation

Check out this really clever little sofa adaptation I found on Our Mid Century. A few simple cosmetic changes like tufting and swapping the legs give this Ikea Karlstad sofa a whole new look (read about how they did it here).



K x

Ooh la la!

I love the bold, block colours used by French graphic designer Malika Favre (I stumbled upon it here). Really simple lines used to maximum effect!


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K x

A good book, and memories of summer holidays

This week I re-discovered the library, and it felt good to reunite with an old friend. That is, it felt good after I finally went in and faced up to the possible fines I owed from an overdue book some years ago. But, like an old friend, I was forgiven for my wrongdoing (for small a fee of $30), and allowed to borrow once more.

One of the books I borrowed was Tim Winton's "Breath", a novel set in a coastal town Western Australia in the 70's which got me reminiscing about summer holidays spent at the beach.

So, I made a little Etsy treasury about it and here are some of the items I featured...

sterling silver stacking rings - set of 2 - made to order

Mason Jar Lights

Surfer Girl - 5x5 print

You can find the listings shown above at:
1) Sterling Silver Stacking Rings
2) Surfer Girl Print
3) Mason Jar Lights

K x

Ruche Clothing. A fab find!

I was over at Lovely Clusters a few weeks ago and I followed a link to the Ruche website. I'm so glad I did. They have some of the loveliest, most affordable clothing, shoes and accessories I've seen in a while... and so perfectly summer!



 

Gah! I just looked again and fell in love with this dress but my size is all gone. That seafoam green... *sigh*


 *all images courtesy of www.shopruche.com
K x

Shiny New Workbench

Today is the day I got myself a workbench!! Well, actually, today is the day MrBenni and I went down to Bunnings, crammed some lengths of timber into the back of my hatchback and he (with a little input from me- I'm not so good at the jigsawing end of things) made me my new workbench. And I love it. Absolutely cannot wait to start playing. Just need to buy a peg for it and then some silver, and I'm good to go!
K x

Workbench in progress...

Viola- finished with a light varnish on top!

Purple Pendant

Wheeeee! I just love Wednesdays! Today is a particularly good Wednesday because I got to finish another silver jewellery project. My pendant with teardrop cabochon setting is complete.



I just need to get a nice long chain for it, no I don't think I will make it this time. I hope you're having a lovely 'hump' day wherever you are.
K x

Winter Festival!

Yesterday was said to be the coldest day Brisbane has seen in a decade, and I believe that! I'd left the house at 7am wearing a skirt, tights, ballet flats and a knit top with 3/4 length sleeves. If I'd known what was to come I would've forgone the skirt, donned trousers over tights, worn boots, a jacket, and scarf to boot. Oh, and if I owned gloves acceptable for public display- would've shoved them in the ol' handbag too. Brrrr.

So, it seemed fitting that the Brisbane Alpine Winter Festival was supposed to be kicking off at 5pm yesterday. I for one am pretty pumped about this event. It's not just the fact that there's an outdoor ice rink being set up in a city that for a large percentage of the year swelters above 30 degrees Celsius that excites me, it's because I absolutely love cold climate fare. I was in my small version of heaven during our travels in Germany where it seemed perfectly acceptable to have a large hunk of apple strudel at any time of the day, and where the schnitzels were sometimes larger than the plates they came out on. Don't even get me started on the steaming hot cups of mulled wine. Sigh. So... I was a bit disappointed when I finished work and they were still setting up, preventing me from getting my hands on any of the above mentioned deliciousness.

All was not lost though, because my workmates and I went and had Devonshire tea instead. Which was almost as delicious, and equally as warming. And it just means I get to save my appetite for another time and visit the Winter Festival then.
K x

Devonshire Tea on a cold winter's day


C'mon baby light my fire

Well, it's officially winter, and the other day a friend posted a photo of these stunning Cocoon fireplaces on Facebook. I thought they were so clever and stylish looking that I had to share...

K x



They can even be used as a wine cooler when it's too hot to need a fireplace. Talk about dual-purpose!


*Images from www.cocoonfires.com

Lino Printing

I've always wanted to give lino cutting/printing a go, and last week I bought a few supplies to realise this little desire of mine. I've discovered it's quite therapeutic (when I manage to keep the blade away from my thumb!) Here's what I made:


These were a couple of practice runs so I could see how it turned out and if I needed to fine tune any of the letters. I'm pretty happy with how it looks, but I think I need to buy some special heavy duty paper to print on. Also the paint is a little patchy too so I think I might have to experiment with a few different types... If there's anyone out there who's a bit of an expert I'd love a couple of pointers!? In the meantime I'll be happily carving away, maybe a picture rather than words this time (those little serifs were a pain)!

K x



Owls on Etsy



I previously posted about the gorgeous plush owls and other bits and bobs our friends at Goose Designs Mapleton have created. Well the Etsy store is finally up and running here with their first couple of listings! There will be more to come soon. Lovely colourful plush creations, Margaret.
K x

Stone Set, Ready to Go

So I finally, just this morning at my Silversmithing class, finished my first cabochon setting and here it is:



I was pretty happy with how it turned out for my first stone setting, and as you can see below I've already got a head start on my second- a pendant.


K x

Snug As A Pug In A Rug!

How adorable are these pet coats and bonnets by Beantown Handmade?! (almost as adorable as the gorgeous Boston Terrier modelling them!)

Large Cupid's Cloak Dog Coat Custom Size and Color Up to 55lbs

Toffee High Collar Dog Sweater Custom Size and Color Up to 35lbs

Bean Note Card - The Blue Blossom Dog Hat

With the cooler weather creeping closer (though if you live in Brisbane you wouldn't know it judging by the magic past couple of days we've had) it's time to not only start getting our winter wardrobe in order, but to also consider the furry friends who keep us company on those cold winter nights.

Beantown handmade have solved the dilemma of keeping our little animal buddies cosy and warm with their selection of handmade woollen coats and hats. I must say they look rather fetching. You can even select the combination of colours you want and they are custom made to fit. Bring on the chilly nights...

K x

A Cabinet Worth Ooh'ing Over

Flipping through this month's issue of Australian Home Beautiful I came across this fantastic cabinet by Tassie designer Matty C Smith (you can check out his other designs and musings at his blog:  http://mattycsmith.blogspot.com).

Not only is this cabinet interesting, playful and functional, it was also designed with eco-friendly choices in mind. Probably why it bagged him the 2010 Tasmanian Design Centre Award for Sustainability and Emerging Designer. (Image and info courtesy of State of Green). I love it! It just seems to have such a big big personality for one little cabinet.

"Shortdivision" cabinet by Matty C Smith
K x

It is, after all, the Most Important Meal of The Day

You know you're going to have a good day when you have a burst of inspiration even before breakfast... Well, today mine was concerning breakfast.

I'm a sucker for pretty much any food with mushrooms in it, so when a friend at work was telling me about a mushroom breakfast involving cream and rosemary it was all I could do not to run for the doors to the nearest Woolworths and buy up whatever they had from the fungi family!

This yummy brekky was so simple to make and quick as a flash- I'm not sure how the original recipe was supposed to be but I improvised and it tasted pretty goshdang good to me. 

For the mushrooms (I used Portabello) I just melted some butter in a pan, added the sliced mushrooms and a little water and let it sauté for a few minutes. I then added some Rosemary (from my herb garden!), salt and pepper and a few dollops of cream. Pop the mushrooms and delicious pan juices on some toasted Sourdough bread and it's done.

I added ricotta and rocket on top because the mood struck me but I imagine the mushies would be great on their own atop the lightly toasted Sourdough.


...And there was someone else who wanted some too... It's rare for her to sit still for more than two seconds but she was being such a good girl I was compelled to share. Just a teeny bit.


K x

Cabochon setting update

(...here is an entry I wrote on the 6th May and saved it waiting to take the photos and then seemed to forget- oops!)

This week saw me get back into my silversmithing class after a two week course break over Easter... and boy was it good to be back into the swing of hammering and sanding the morning away.

Here is the ring progress so far- it seems to be taking forever but it's the biggest piece of silver I've worked with thus far so forming it, hammering and soldering took longer than my previous projects. Can't wait to finally set the stone... hopefully next week!
K x
I chose a cushion shape for the band as it's supposed to
be more comfortable and won't spin as easily on the finger.

...to give an idea of scale and roughly how it should look
when finished

Kitchen Plans

Hello! Well it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted and I have just returned from a nice little break at the beach which was lovely- lots of eating, drinking and soaking up the sun but unfortunately not much creative stuff going on which is why this little blog has suffered some neglect lately.

One exciting thing is that MrBenni and I have decided on a colour for our mini kitchen makeover.

Current cabinets need an update and replacing
them isn't an option at the moment.



The existing kitchen cabinetry needs a lift (i.e. I can't stand the dark wood veneer any longer) and after reading a couple of articles on ehow about how to paint wood laminate and wood veneer, it seems with the right prepwork (and sealant) anything is possible. I'd be interested to know if any of you have done this before? Tips/tricks?

So we've (almost certainly) decided on British Paints 350 Flight Plan for the cabinetry to tie in with the blue/grey of the bench tops (I'm hoping it won't be too dark if we go with light walls) and I think with new stainless hardware to replace the old brown knobs it will be the pick-me-up our tired little kitchen needs...



Oh and maybe this island bench from Ikea and some bright stools

We plan to get stuck into it soon, will let you know how it goes!
K x

Wedding Bells

With all this hype about the royal wedding going on today (my work is even having a high tea with tiaras at the office), it's hard not to get even a little caught up in it all so I thought I'd jump on the horse and carriage (so to speak), and post something within that theme.

So, I consulted my favourite wedding site for inspiration: OnceWed, where I can spend more time than I'm willing to admit looking at all the beautiful photos and creative ideas, even though it's been over a year since my own wedding. This denim themed wedding is featured at the moment - and who would have thought a bridal party decked out in denim could look so stylish? (not a bad perm or puff paint decoration in sight!)



I also thought this Big Sur real wedding looked amazing! MrBenni and I were lucky to visit this beautiful part of the world when we were in the US in '09 and Big Sur was definitely a highlight. This brides dress was gorgeous and I absolutely love the colourful lanterns hanging from the trees. 
K x




*all images from www.oncewed.com

Under a Turquoise Sky

I've been feeling a teensy bit blue the last couple days with with the weather taking a cooler turn (I think we were spoilt with such perfect weather last weekend, of course Mother Nature had to realise that it's supposed to be Autumn and act accordingly).

So when I came across this photo by Songsoflight on Etsy the other day I got a little excited and ordered one. I think it will be just the thing to cheer me up when it feels like summer is so so far away. How appropriate that it's called "Summer Dream"? It makes me imagine warm and sweetly scented afternoons spent lying in the grass somewhere by the water.

I know it will look so pretty framed on my wall, perhaps above my desk where I can sit, stare up and wistfully dream of summer...
K x

Silver Chain

This is my completed silver chain that I have finally taken some photos of! I realise it's been quite a while since I wrote this promising to put them up soon. Oops! I've been having so much fun wearing it that I kept forgetting to take the photos.

I was quite happy with how it turned out and how the polishing seemed to hide the little solder joins that were visible prior to it being polished. The twisted links catch the light nicely and appear shinier and more sparkly than the plain links. Now that I've learnt the basic technique I'd love to try a more chunky version with round links.
K x

Down by the sea

*Sigh* Don't you just love when you have one of those little breaks that really feels like a holiday- no matter how short it may have been? I was fortunate enough to have had one such occasion in northern New South Wales over the long weekend- and I feel so much better for it. It had it all- perfect weather, a spot by the beach, good company and boardgames. Oh, and of course all the Easter chocolate! Bliss. I hope you all had an equally enjoyable weekend!
K x




A strong contender for the best pie I've ever eaten.
and hands down the largest!

I think the Pelicans missed the memo...

   *All happy snaps taken by me (well, the last couple were taken by MrBenni- but I did the playing around in Photoshop)

Hand Painted Easter Eggs

This time two years ago MrBenni and I were travelling around Europe (*sigh* feels like a lifetime ago now) and we found this fantastic shop on one of the main streets in Salzburg. Unfortunately I have no idea what the name was, or where it was even located but the entire shop was filled- packed really- with blown and hand painted eggs! I remember just being in awe of the place, and must admit I was a little worried about turning around too fast with my backpack on and breaking them. They were all so beautiful and there were so many different designs and patterns. It wasn't practical to buy any as we were only mid-way through our trip and didn't have much space or the luxury of transporting such delicate cargo. So the photos would have to do... Enjoy the holidays if you're having them!
K x

Eggs everywhere- the entire shop was like this
  

A personal favourite- the globe on an egg


I love the strawberries on the bottom left


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